


Initiate Bunny Protocol

by itsfaberrytaboo (orphan_account)



Series: Wide Green Eyes [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Age Play, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bigs and littles are known, Bottle-Feeding, Diapers, F/F, Feeding, Fluff, Natasha Needs a Hug, Non-Sexual Age Play, Pacifiers, Spanking, Wetting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-08
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-06-07 05:32:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6787585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/itsfaberrytaboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And when Natasha was little, Maria’s control was just what she needed. They had talked about it, once Natasha was out of her headspace.</p><p>“I need rules,” she’d said. “I need to feel… safe.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Initiate Bunny Protocol

**Author's Note:**

> There is spanking in this fic, but it's very light. Still, it's there, and this is an ageplay fic. I won't be offended if you don't read it :)
> 
> The song "A Bushel and a Peck" is from the musical Guys and Dolls. It's been covered by countless artists such as Doris Day, and has also featured on many children's shows.

“Ms. Hill, when we placed you in charge of SHIELD, we didn’t anticipate this level of ineptitude.”

Maria pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes briefly before reopening them and leveling her gaze at the holographic council in front of her.

All of this because an op went wrong. An op went wrong, but no one had gotten hurt. No one had died.

Really, she had more serious things to deal with.

“First of all, it’s Director Hill, _sir_ ,” she said to the man at the far left, lacing her tone with the right combination of diplomacy and sarcasm. “Although to be honest, I prefer _Commander_ Hill, in deference to my rank. Which, if I recall correctly, you don’t have. Didn’t you vacation in Dubai rather than joining the military? Even though it’s mandatory for every _other_ seventeen-year-old male in your country.”

His slightly withered face registered shock, then fury. “I won’t be spoken to this way—“

“Nor will I,” Maria interrupted. “In case any of you have forgotten, I was not _placed_ in charge of SHIELD, I took it because nobody else wanted that mess.”

“A mess you helped create,” the councilwoman on the right pointed out primly, and Maria shrugged.

“I’m fine with never receiving your absolution,” she said. “Even though the world is a little less safe than it was, it’s still damn safer than it ever would be under Hydra. And _that_ is something I’m helping create. Now if you want to be upset over my ‘ineptitude’ because of one mishandled operation, then be my guest. While you’re calling for your investigations and my resignation, I’m going to be here keeping the rest of the world from falling into the Potomac.”

Not waiting for a response, she switched off the communication, watching the council slide downward into virtual oblivion. Maria sighed, resting her palms on the table and leaning forward slightly to try to regain her bearings.

A voice came from the far side of the room, near the door.

“It is so hot when you get righteously indignant.”

“Natasha!”

She was in Maria’s arms in an instant, which after a week apart still seemed to take too long. Natasha kissed her, slow and sweetly, and Maria ran her hands up and down the woman’s back, holding her close. Natasha smelled vaguely of sweat and more strongly of something fruity, which would seem totally unlike her except for the fact that it was a body spray Maria had purchased for Natasha a few weeks ago.

“You’re home,” Maria said, tucking her face into Natasha’s neck, just above the collar of the tan jacket she wore over a black shirt. She’d changed out of her tac suit on the way to the office, Maria supposed.

“I missed you, sweetheart.”

“Missed you too,” Natasha said, her hands tightly gripping the front of Maria’s own suit jacket. “You should be happy to know a damn quinjet isn’t fast enough when I want to be home with you.”

“I’ll have Stark work on that,” Maria chuckled, then drew back to look at her soulmate. She winked.

“Report?”

“Successful op, Director,” Natasha said with a smirk. She reached up her hand and unfastened the bun at the nape of Maria’s neck, stroking the dark strands as they fell and idly scratching at Maria’s scalp. “All targets located, all information acquired. Just as you _commanded_.”

“I love it when you talk like an agent,” Maria said, kissing Natasha again, grinning as Natasha hummed with pleasure against her lips.

A week really had been far too long to go without the redhead, their bond now as strong and as familiar to Maria as breathing. Although it didn’t cause her physical pain when she and Natasha were separated for any length of time, emotionally it wasn’t easy. Maria never slept well unless Natasha was curled into her side. She wasn’t satisfied if she knew that she couldn’t text Natasha, or call her, because it might compromise the mission.

Make sure she hadn’t gotten injured. Or worse. She never wanted to think of worse.

“They really want your resignation?” Natasha asked softly. Her green eyes searched Maria’s blue ones, a little worried.

Maria waved her hand dismissively. “They’re just throwing their weight around. They’ll settle down after a while.”

“I hope so,” Natasha said. “Hey, can I… do you mind if I wait until tomorrow to file the reports?”

“Sure,” Maria said, a little surprised. One of the best things about Natasha as a SHIELD agent was how thorough she was. The Black Widow might have some… unconventional methods of doing her job, but everything got done, and unlike some of the others, her reports _always_ got filed on time.

Maria really needed to speak to Tony about his.

“It’s Friday, anyway, you can wait till Monday if you want. Why? Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I just need…”

“Need what?” Maria prompted softly, tucking a strand of Natasha’s fiery red hair behind her ear.

She already knew the answer. After being bonded for nearly six months, she was getting good at reading the signs. The telltale slant of Natasha’s head, just a bit to the right. A scuffle of foot on carpet, the haziness in her eyes. The way she bit her lip as she looked at Maria.

Maria supposed that any other person might have been disappointed. Natasha had just gotten home after a week away, and she was already slipping into her little state. That would mean no adult conversation over dinner, no watching a “grown up” movie on the television or going out dancing. There would be no sighs of need in the darkness of their bedroom as lips and tongues and hands and fingers danced over each other’s skin.

But there was time enough for that, Maria knew. Hopefully, the two of them would have more than enough time together, because as much as Maria and Natasha were learning about each other in their big and little headspaces, Maria knew they needed to learn about each other as equals, too. As girlfriends.

Yet if Natasha needed her this way, then damned if Maria wasn’t going to give it to her.

One of Natasha’s hands was still clinging to Maria’s shirt as she said it.

“Need you, Mama.”

Maria smiled. “Well, _there’s_ my baby bunny,” she said warmly, folding Natasha in her arms again and pressing multiple kisses to her cheeks and forehead. She heard Natasha’s relieved sigh as the little girl rested her head against Maria’s chest.

“Do you want to get out of your big girl clothes now, baby?” she asked, then couldn’t help but laugh when Natasha poked at a pocket just under the lapel of Maria’s jacket.

“Hmm, what is it, Natasha?” she teased. “What is it you could possibly want; I don’t think I have anything here…”

“Mama,” Natasha whined, rubbing her cheek against Maria, and Maria took pity on her with one last kiss to the top of her head.

“Here you go, baby,” she said, digging into the pocket and pulling out the little yellow pacifier with its brown bunny. Natasha opened her mouth and Maria popped it in, grinning when Natasha began to suck. She’d been so uncertain about the pacifier at first, now it was her go-to when she was in her little headspace.

Maria took Natasha’s hand and lead her out of the meeting room. “Let’s get you into some more comfortable clothes, all right?”

Natasha nodded, dutifully walking alongside her. Maria knew it wasn’t all that common for littles to walk the halls of SHIELD, but Natasha was different. Natasha was Maria’s, and everyone except the newest recruits knew it. She came and went as she pleased, no matter what headspace she was in, and nobody ever said a thing. An agent or two might cast a sidelong glance at them as they walked, like the grey-haired one did just as Natasha and Maria made it to her office, but neither of them cared what he thought. Mostly because he’d have his own little boy or girl waiting at home hopefully.

Or his own bottle.

Maria closed the door behind Natasha as they came into her office, and lightly touched her cheek with her hand.

“Initiate bunny protocol,” she announced, and immediately the lights in the bright office dimmed, replaced with a thousand tiny twinkling ones on the ceiling, like stars in the sky. Tony had set that up for Maria; how he’d known Natasha would adore it Maria would never be able to figure out. The blinds slid shut over the windows; the office was silent and secure, and Maria tugged Natasha over to her.

“Stand right here for just a minute while I get everything else ready, okay, pretty girl?”

“Okay, Mama. Mama, so many stars!”

“I know, so many stars,” Maria agreed, moving to her desk and pulling out the diaper bag from underneath it. “I don’t think I could count them all.”

“ _I_ could,” Natasha said stubbornly. “One… two… three…”

She listened to Natasha count, adorably, as Maria laid out everything on the desk. She unfolded the changing mat, white with blue elephants, sitting the baby wipes and powder next to it. Then came one of Natasha’s diapers, and since she was still counting, Maria didn’t bother to ask her which one she wanted. Natasha didn’t really want to make many decisions when she was in her little headspace anyway, and Maria was more than glad to take that over for her. So a princess diaper would do.

In the lower drawer of Maria’s desk were clothes. She’d started keeping them since Natasha still shifted in her states rather easily, and sometimes more rapidly than Maria knew she liked. And Maria figured that being a little while wearing a tac suit was probably uncomfortable.

“How many so far, bunny?”

“I messed up at a hundred,” Natasha said a little sadly. “So I start over.”

“Starting over is just fine,” Maria reassured. “Come here, though, baby, so you can pick out what clothes you want to wear.”

Natasha skipped over to her and looked into the drawer. “Is jammies there, Mama?”

“Yep,” Maria said, reaching underneath the first outfit and pulling them out, a set of polka-dotted printed shorts with a matching top.

“Want that,” Natasha said, pointing at them.

“Pajamas it is, then,” Maria said, despite her reservations that it was a little cool outside, and she wasn’t too keen on Natasha walking to her car in shorts. But it wasn’t winter, and it was just this once. She was so happy to have Natasha back Maria was pretty sure she’d let the little girl get away with anything.

Almost.

Natasha stood as Maria stripped her out of her clothes, only shivering a little once she was fully naked, and Maria quickly hugged her to warm her. “Up on the desk, my little bunny,” she said, and helped Natasha lay on the changing mat.

“What would you like to do tonight?” Maria asked, making swift work of tucking the diaper underneath Natasha’s bottom, and cleaning her with one of the baby wipes.

Natasha thought for a moment while Maria powdered her and fastened the diaper.

“M’hungry,” she finally said around her pacifier, and Maria laughed.

“Well, guess I’ll be making dinner,” she said, leaning down to kiss Natasha’s tummy until she giggled.

“What else?”

“Movie?”

“Maybe,” Maria said. She didn’t like the idea of Natasha watching too much television, and if Maria was being honest, she liked playing with the little girl much more than she liked watching things with her, even if that did involve snuggling. It was so much more fun to watch the little girl play with her toys, to see Natasha relaxed and happy in her little space, with the worries of SHIELD a distant memory, if only for a while.

She pulled Natasha up to a sitting position on the desk, then slipped the tee-shirt and shorts on her. She couldn’t help but smile, seeing how cute her little girl was, and Maria impulsively hugged her again.

“How much does mama love you?” She asked.

Natasha pretended to think, going along with the act. “I don’t know…”

Maria drew her face into a pout. “You don’t know how much I love you?”

“Yes, I do, Mama!” Natasha said quickly, even though they had played this little game a hundred times before. “No sad, mama, you love me a bushel an’ a peck, an’ a hug around my neck!”

“That’s right,” Maria said, tapping Natasha’s nose with her finger. “Now, can you be a good girl and let mama finish up something she has to do before we leave? It’ll only take me… two hundred stars, okay?”

“I do two hundred,” Natasha said with a determined look, hopping off the desk to sit on the floor.

Maria smiled softly, watching her for a second before she packed up everything that was on her desk back into the diaper bag, then switched on her computer. She ignored any communications that had come in during the time she was with the council, and with Natasha; unless they were marked urgent they could wait until Monday – or at least until later that evening when Natasha was asleep or distracted.

Maria flicked through a couple of reports that were awaiting her approval; those, too, could wait until later – her agents had made her wait long enough for them, after all. For as much as Maria liked to fuss at the about it, she didn’t really mind. The world and SHIELD was in chaos enough; reports were secondary in her mind. Still, she had to pretend there was some sort of order in her organization.

She gave another level of clearance to an agent, then checked her schedule to see that she was meant to address a new class of recruits first thing Monday. Maria sighed, then shrugged her shoulders. All part of the job; she was just grateful to still _have_ recruits.

“… two hundred! Two hundred stars, Mama, time’s up!”

“Time’s up,” Maria agreed cheerfully, turning off her computer and moving back around the desk to Natasha.

“Come on, little bunny, let’s go home.”

She reached down with her hand and Natasha grabbed it, allowing Maria to pull her to her feet.

“Mama carry me?” she asked, but Maria shook her head.

“Not right now, baby. You can walk to the car with mama.”

Natasha pouted, but she held tight to Maria’s hand as they left her office.

They ran into Sam just down the hall. “Hey, Director Hill,” he greeted Maria.

“How’s it going, Falcon?”

“Right as rain,” he said with his usual gentle smile. “Hey, look who’s back, Natasha! How’s it going, little lady?”

“Hi, big bird,” Natasha said, and Maria had to choke back the laughter. She was endlessly amused by the nickname the little girl had given Sam, though she suspected that “big” Natasha had had more to do with it than baby Natasha.

Either way, Sam was unfazed by it, and in fact seemed to enjoy it most of the time.

“It sure is good to see you back, Natasha. I don’t think your mama likes it when you’re gone.”

“No, I don’t,” Maria declared, wrapping her arm around Natasha’s waist and hugging her close. “It’s just not the same without my bunny.”

“Not same without mama,” Natasha said, then looked up at Sam.

“Sam come play later?”

Sam was meant to have his own little, Maria knew, simply by the way she had observed Sam playing with Natasha on the nights when he’d come visit. For dinner sometimes, or just a beer. He seemed to delight in playing dolls or trucks, or wearing the little plastic stethoscope while he pretended to check Natasha’s heart. So far it seemed he hadn’t found his soulmate yet, but Maria was beginning to have her suspicions about a certain first Avenger.

“Probably not this weekend, little lady, Cap and I are off on our own adventures. But I promise when we get back we’ll play, all right?”

“Okay,” Natasha said happily, and Maria smiled at Sam, wishing him a good weekend before she and Natasha took the elevator to the ground floor, and left SHIELD headquarters for first the car, then home. Natasha climbed into the front seat and let Maria buckle her in; Maria handed her one of her toys even though the ride would be a short one.

She laughed when halfway through the drive she heard Natasha’s stomach grumble.

“Your tummy’s talking,” she teased. “What’s it saying?”

Natasha thought for a minute. “It say, ‘want pizza.’”

Maria smiled, but shook her head. “Not tonight, baby. You probably haven’t been eating very well the last few days, so you need something better.”

“But want _pizza_ ,” Natasha protested.

“How about spaghetti?” Maria suggested, ignoring the sullen look that had appeared on Natasha’s face. “You like my spaghetti, and I’ll let you sit on the counter while I cook, will that be all right?”

“Okay,” Natasha said, brightening a little, no doubt over the prospect of being allowed to sit on the counter.

Maria knew logically that Natasha was still a grown woman and certainly couldn’t fall, but she liked having a few rules that would help her girl feel more deeply into her little space. No sitting on the counter, usually. No climbing to get things off shelves. Maria always would cut up Natasha’s meat for her and keep the knives well out of reach. She thought that Natasha liked these rules, or at least she’d never said she didn’t.

There had been things that Natasha, when she was big, had worked out with Maria that they didn’t ever want to do, even while Natasha was in her headspace as a little. Which was fine with Maria; she was still working her way out of the mindset that _she_ had been meant to be little, so having her own set of rules about things _she_ couldn’t do as a mama, was insanely comforting. This way, she thought to herself, she’d be sure to get (most) things right.

The night had actually turned cold by the time Maria and Natasha made it to the Tower, so that the little girl was shivering as they walked from the car to the door.

“Hang on,” Maria soothed, wrapping her arm around Natasha’s shoulders and guiding her to the elevator that would take them up to their (Maria’s) apartment. “Mama’s going to add a jacket to my desk drawer, I think,” she added.

She was surprised when the elevator dinged open and out stepped Pepper to the ground floor.

“Hey!” she greeted Maria happily, and beamed at Natasha. “Hi there, baby girl. Oh, I love those pajamas!”

Natasha grinned shyly, twisting a curl of hair around one finger. “I picked it out.”

“Well, you have very good taste in clothes.”

Natasha’s brow furrowed. “Not s’posed to eat clothes?”

Maria snorted. “It means you know what looks pretty, baby.” She turned to Pepper. “Stark still holed up in his lab?”

“You know it. I’m off to pick up dinner and a few more things to coax him out. Want me to pick you up anything?”

“No, that’s all right, but thanks. Natasha’s going to help me cook dinner and then we are going to have _so much_ playtime.”

Natasha’s eyes sparkled as she glanced up at Maria, and her mama winked. She couldn’t wait for the absolute mess of toys scattered all over her living room floor. She hated it when her apartment was just so damn neat while Natasha was gone.

Pepper said her goodbyes then, with a quick hug to both of them, and then it was _finally_ time to be home. Maria stood back a little after she had ushered Natasha in, and watched as Natasha seemed to, oddly, melt into the very atmosphere of home. As much as they both had come to love the Barton farmhouse, for both Maria and Natasha there was nothing like Maria’s (their) apartment, and the comfort and security it meant for them both.

Much of Natasha’s toys and books usually sat on a low table up against one wall, and Maria grinned when she caught Natasha eyeing them wistfully.

“I need to go get out of these work clothes,” she said. “Why don’t you stay here and play, and then when I’m done we’ll make dinner?”

“Okay!” Natasha said, making a beeline for her toys.

Maria chuckled, and moved to the bedroom so she could change. Shedding off her clothes was like shedding a second skin, one of steel and business, that masked the relaxation and, well, _gentleness_ that she had found she actually craved. Maria knew that most of the rigors of her job as director of SHIELD, and her military training, would never truly leave her. There would always be that part that needed control, structure, and really, that worked out perfectly in her bond with Natasha. Natasha’s own training at the hands of the Red Room would never truly leave her, either, and though that wasn’t necessarily good, at times, it also meant that she was able to match Maria in their objectives for SHIELD and the world, mostly.

And when Natasha was little, Maria’s control was just what she needed. They had talked about it, once Natasha was out of her headspace.

“I need rules,” she’d said. “I need to feel… safe.”

Maria had resolved then that she’d move heaven and earth to always make sure Natasha felt safe.

Natasha was sprawled out on her stomach in the living room once Maria had made it back in. She watched for a few moments as Natasha unabashedly, unashamedly played with her dolls, talking for them in a low, happy tone. Her body was completely relaxed, the rigidity of being an Avenger completely gone.

Sometimes, for Maria, the transformation was astounding.

“I think I’ve lost my bunny,” Maria said, and Natasha’s head shot up to look at her. “I sure do miss my bunny, I wonder where she could be.”

“M’here, Mama,” Natasha said, pushing herself off the floor and running over to hug Maria. “I’m not lost, here I am!”

“There you are!” Maria said, and picked Natasha up into her arms, because it had been a week and she just needed to hold her. “Ready to help with dinner?”

“Yes! I’m so hungry!”

Sat on the counter, Maria let Natasha help her make the spaghetti, taking care to keep her away from the heat of the stove. She gave Natasha little bites of the sauce, listening patiently to the little girl’s criticisms on spices until finally Natasha smacked her lips with happiness.

“Jus’ right, Mama!”

“Good,” Maria said, kissing Natasha’s cheek. “You’re such a good helper, thank you, baby.”

Natasha beamed and kicked her feet idly against the cabinets. “Mama,” she said suddenly. “I have cookie?”

“Not till after dinner,” Maria said, a little absently as she checked to make sure all the burners were turned off. “And only one, then. I bet you haven’t slept well and I want to make sure you get a good rest.”

Natasha pouted. “But I want a cookie,” she whined. “Two cookies. Want now.”

“No,” Maria said firmly. “You can have one cookie after dinner. Hop down, now.”

She helped Natasha off the counter, then led the still-pouting little girl to the table.

“Do you want your special plate?” Maria asked her, hoping to avoid what seemed to be a storm brewing.

“I guess,” the little girl said with a shrug, and Maria fought back a sigh. This didn’t bode well.

“Okay, just sit right here and Mama will get your special plate and your sippy cup.” She leaned down to kiss the top of Natasha’s head, running her fingers through her hair.

She pulled the plate and the sippy cup out of the cabinet, placing it in front of Natasha. She’d had the plastic plate specially made; it was red-rimmed with a painted child-like motorcycle in the center, with Natasha’s name stenciled underneath. Her sippy cup was just a bright green one with a blue lid, sturdy enough that it wouldn’t spill if Natasha dropped it.

“There we go,” Maria said. “Let me get my plate and then we can have spaghetti.”

“Cookie?”

“I told you, after dinner.” Maria said with her back turned. “Little bunnies have to eat a good meal before they can have dessert.”

She couldn’t find her plate in the cabinet. Must be in the dishwasher, Maria thought, and moved towards it.

“Want cookie _now_!”

There was a loud clatter, and Maria whirled around. Natasha stood at the table, her chin lifted and defiant. Her plastic plate and cup were on the floor where she’d apparently flung them, and Maria’s eyes narrowed.

She crossed the floor to Natasha, leaning down slightly so that she was eye-level, and lightly but firmly gripping Natasha’s upper arm with her hand.

“This is _not_ okay,” she said. “You do _not_ throw a tantrum when you don’t get what you want.”

Using her hand, Maria turned Natasha slightly and delivered two swats to her diaper-clad bottom. It wasn’t hard, and Maria was pretty sure Natasha wouldn’t have even been able to feel it over the diaper. But the shock of _Mama just spanked me_ registered in Natasha’s widened eyes, and she immediately burst into tears.

They’d agreed that spanking was okay, as long as it was just Maria’s hand, and as long as it never went over five smacks. Maria had been hesitant at first, but Natasha had assured her it was okay, and, “maybe something I need.”

Still, she hadn’t done it before, so it surprised both her and Natasha, apparently. The violence of the little girl’s sobs wrenched Maria’s heart, but she had to stay calm and focused. Punishment was sometimes necessary; Laura had told her. And if Maria fell apart, then Natasha would fall apart.

So Maria took a deep breath and stood up, slipping her hand into Natasha’s and leading her over to a child-sized, purple and pink step stool.

“All right,” Maria said, having to raise her voice a little to be heard over Natasha. “You need to sit on the naughty stool for two minutes, Natasha. Mama’s going to get our dinner ready.”

Turning her back on her little girl, Maria swiped furiously at her eyes, then distracted herself by picking up the plates from the floor and giving them a quick wash in the sink before she put them back on the table. She found her own plate and cup in the dishwasher and sat them on the table as well, then poured milk for herself and Natasha, and served up the spaghetti. Finally done, she came back over to the stool and knelt down.

“Bunny?” she said softly, reaching up to brush away Natasha’s tears with her thumbs, but they were falling too quickly for her to really do any good. “Baby, it’s okay, it’s over now.” She reached out and Natasha flung herself into Maria’s arms, wrapping her arms around Maria’s neck.

“I s-sorry,” Natasha cried. “I di- I di- I-“

She gasped for breath, and Maria shushed her, standing up with Natasha in her arms. “Calm down, baby,” she soothed, patting Natasha’s back. “Take a deep breath, you’re all right.”

“I m-made you mad,” Natasha sniffed. “I bad g-g-girl and now you mad and I sorry, Mama!”

“No, baby, no,” Maria said, moving Natasha’s plate and cup over to Maria’s side of the table, with some difficulty due to the crying little she held. She sat down with Natasha snuggled on her lap. She kissed her forehead.

“You’re never a bad girl. I’m not mad at you, I promise. I just need you to listen when Mama tells you something, okay? If you don’t listen then you might get a spanking, and I don’t think we like that at all, do we?”

Natasha shook her head vigorously against Maria’s shoulder, and Maria smiled. The tears had slowed a little, and she rubbed Natasha’s back. “You’re not a bad girl. You’re my little bunny, and I love you more than anything, all right?”

“I love you too, Mama.”

“Do you want to tell Mama why you were so cranky?”

Natasha looked away, and Maria nudged her gently.

“Long week,” Natasha said in a tiny voice.

They’d have to talk about that. In the morning, maybe, Maria thought.

“Miss Mama for whole week. That’s seven days.”

“You’re right, that is seven days. Good girl.”

“Natasha big girl sometimes, Mama.”

Maria nodded solemnly. “I know. Sometimes it’s a long time, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“So my baby bunny gets tired and then she’s home. She’s a very little girl and it’s kind of scary, isn’t it?”

It made her heart ache, when Natasha nodded at her with downcast eyes.

“All right.” Maria hugged her. “I’ll try to help make it less scary for you, okay?”

Maybe she could get some more tips from Laura or Pepper. Hell, even Sam, maybe.

“Okay.” There was a small pause, and then Natasha looked at Maria with wet cheeks as she said hopefully, “Cookie?”

Maria couldn’t help it; she laughed, hard. Natasha bit her lip and grinned, and Maria kissed the tip of her nose.

“No,” she said affectionately. “Not tonight. But I tell you what, tomorrow if you listen to Mama and don’t throw things, maybe you can have two cookies, one for lunch and one for dinner. How does that sound?”

“I listen to Mama from now on,” Natasha said resolutely. “Never be on stool again.”

Maria rolled her eyes a little; there was no way Natasha would be able to keep that promise. Which was slightly adorable, even though the punishment part of caregiving wasn’t ever going to be Maria’s favorite. Still, even discipline was security, and she and Natasha were slowly learning what would work for both of them. That’s all Maria could ask for.

Maria kept Natasha on her lap through dinner. Normally she didn’t feed the little girl; Natasha was pretty independent about that, but after being swatted she seemed particularly clingy. So Maria swirled the spaghetti around her fork, making Natasha giggle, and fed her little bites, talking quietly to her and occasionally kissing her tear-stained cheeks. Natasha kept refusing her sippy cup, though, and when dinner was done Maria asked, “Did you want something else besides milk, Nat? You need to drink something.”

Natasha, back in her own chair at the table as Maria cleaned up, shook her head. “No. Want milk, just…”

“Just what?” Maria prompted.

Natasha pointed to an empty bottle that was resting in the dish rack.

“Want that,” she requested in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Oh,” Maria said knowingly. “You still want snuggles, don’t you?”

Natasha nodded, and Maria reached for the bottle and the cup on the table. “Let me fill this up and then we will. Are you wet?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on then.” She filled up the bottle and left it on the coffee table as she led Natasha into the bedroom and quickly changed her into a fresh diaper. The sight of the little girl lying on the bed, so soft and vulnerable and trusting, nearly brought tears to Maria’s eyes again.

But she fought them off as she took them both back into the living room. “Hey, how about I read something to you?” Maria suggested, and Natasha’s eyes lit up.

“Please, Mama?”

“Okay.” Maria patted her bottom this time. “Pick what you want.”

Natasha rushed to her little table, taking time to ponder through all the books before she selected one, then climbed onto Maria’s lap and reached for the bottle.

“Okay, okay, grabby hands,” Maria joked, handing it to her. She shuffled so that she was able to lean against both the back and one side of the couch, Natasha laying down with her head in the crook of Maria’s arm as she began to suck from the bottle.

“Oh, I like this book,” Maria said, looking at the cover of the bright picture book. “Natasha and the Three Bears.”

“ _Mama_ ,” Natasha huffed around the nipple of the bottle. “Is Goldilocks.”

“I thought you were going to listen to me from now on?” Maria asked. But she was grinning to show Natasha that she didn’t mean anything by it, and hugged the little girl tenderly to her, helping to hold the bottle for a moment.

“It Natasha,” the baby agreed, a little drowsily. She really hadn’t slept well, Maria thought to herself. They’d have to do something to make it easier for Natasha when she was out on ops. But they could work that out some other time.

Tonight, this was what Natasha needed.

“That’s right,” Maria said, opening the book and settling in with Natasha secure and safe in her arms.

“Once upon a time, there was a sweet, brave, precious little girl. And her name was Natasha.”


End file.
